Why Madison Keys Was ‘No Longer Searching for Validation’ Even Before Winning the Australian Open

0 1 7 minutes read

why-madison-keys-was-‘no-longer-searching-for-validation’-even-before-winning-the-australian-open

In the land down under, Madison Keys is on top of the world. Over the weekend, the 29-year-old American tennis player won the first major of her career, beating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka to clinch a historic victory at the Australian Open. In footage of the match’s final point, she raises her arms high in the air before covering her face in an outburst of emotion. “It was just kind of an out-of-body experience,” she tells SELF in a Zoom call on January 28. “In that moment, you become so hyper-focused on the task at hand that you just take everything point by point. Everything else just disappears.”

And she’s still riding that high three days later. In her own way, that is—keeping it chill is the new titlist’s preference. Immediately after, “I did get a nice glass of champagne, and then the next night, I got to have dinner with my team and kind of take it all in,” Keys says. “I’m a pretty low-key person, so that was the perfect way to celebrate.”

And there was a lot to reflect upon. With the win, Keys achieved a career milestone that she’s been eyeing for more than half her life. Since turning pro on her 14th birthday in 2009 (she famously started playing tennis after seeing Venus Williams on TV), she’s been considered a top contender on the WTA Tour, but a Grand Slam title eluded her. Previously, her closest brush was the 2017 US Open final, but it ended in a decisive straight-sets loss to fellow American Sloane Stephens. More recently, Keys made it to the Wimbledon fourth round but was forced to retire due to a minor hamstring tear, a decision that was necessary for her health but no less heartbreaking for it. “You kind of have to rebuild confidence back with your body after an injury,” she told SELF of the setback, right before the US Open. Then, in that tournament, she was knocked out in the third round by Belgian player Elise Mertens.

But change was in the cards. Ranked 14 in the world heading into the Australian Open, Keys managed to overcome a difficult draw, beating fellow American Danielle Collins in the third round, 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the fourth, Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals, and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Świątek in the semifinals before facing off against Sabalenka. Held in Rod Laver Arena, the final was a nail-biter, but in the third set, Keys hit a forehand winner that sealed the deal.

In the process, she notched a few notable achievements: Becoming the first American to win the Australian Open in five years; the first woman in 20 years to beat the World No. 1 and 2 (Sabalenka and Świątek, respectively) en route to an Australian Open win; and the fourth oldest first-time Grand Slam women’s champion in the Open Era, according to Tennis.com.

Days later, the excitement hasn’t worn off. “I’m still super happy,” she says. “I think I’ll probably ride the wave as long as I can.” Below, Keys talks to SELF about that ride so far; making the changes that prefaced her big win; and feeling comfortable with who she is and where she’s at, Grand Slam title or not.

SELF: Your husband, fellow tennis player Bjorn Fratangelo, doubles as your coach. What is that dynamic like?

Madison Keys: This summer will be, I think, two years that he’s been coaching me. It really helps that he played professional tennis as well, so he understands the life.

We work really well together because he knows when and how to deliver messages. We have really good communication, and we do a good job of knowing when we should talk tennis, and when the tennis talk should be turned off and we should go back to just being romantic partners.

He is a very smart guy and knows what he is talking about, so it’s pretty easy to have back-and-forth. He has my best interests at heart, and I trust what he says.

You’ve made some big technical changes recently regarding your racket, like switching out your Wilson for a Yonex and swapping your gut strings for polyester ones. How do you feel these adjustments have enhanced your game and reduced your injury risk?

We started making some changes last year. I had a pretty significant injury at the beginning and missed the first few months [of the tennis season], and it finally got to the point where I was like, Okay, I need to make some actual changes so that I can continue to play full seasons and be healthy.

I don’t really know specs and the technical things, but Bjorn is such a tennis geek. He can literally watch tennis on TV and tell me what racket the players are using, what it is. He knows everything. So I told him what I was searching for in a racket, and he narrowed it down for me, so I didn’t feel like the options were endless. Within the first five minutes of hitting with the new racket, I was like, Oh, yeah, this is it.

Do you think these changes were a factor in your victory?

Yeah, absolutely. I think the extra power and control that I’ve been able to find has not only helped my average rally ball be a little bit more dangerous, but also given me the freedom to go for things and thread the needle a little bit more, in a way that feels safe and comfortable. When you have that kind of combination, it just gives you a level of confidence. You feel like, Okay, no matter what is happening during the match, I can figure things out and I don’t have to stress as much that I have to play at a perfect level. This [racket and strings pairing] is definitely the combination for the foreseeable feature.

Going into the Australian Open, how were you feeling, especially knowing you’d have a long road to the podium?

So I actually won the tournament before the Australian Open, the Adelaide International. I played some really good tennis there, and when you’re able to do that, you have a level of confidence already that definitely helps push you through the draw.

Maybe there’s a little bit of superstition to it as well. The one other time I won the Adelaide International [in 2022], I ended up making the semifinals of the Australian Open. So when I won Adelaide again this year, in my head, I was like, Oh, maybe this is good luck. Maybe we’ll see a run in Australia.

I actually never look at the draw, so I am always kind of surprised at the end of any match about who the next opponent is. Some people like to look—I know [current World No. 6] Jessie Pegula does and knows every possible thing that could happen—but I’ve always just thought that the chances of it actually playing out how it should are so rare, why waste your time? Eventually, at some point, you figure it out, when there’s not very many people left. But in this case, I think I’m glad that I didn’t look at the draw, because that could have been a little bit daunting. Every round, I definitely gained more and more confidence, and as things went on, I felt more and more sure of myself, sure that I could be the one holding the trophy on Saturday.

What does it mean to you to finally achieve this milestone of winning a major? Does it feel like a lot of pressure has been lifted?

I think that I finally got to the point where I felt like I didn’t need to prove myself anymore, where I was really content with what I had done. Obviously, as a professional tennis player, I was still always wanting more, always wanting to win every draw, but no longer searching for validation through winning a Slam. Not winning a Slam, I think, gave me the freedom to not only win one, but now really appreciate it in a way that I don’t think that I could have before.

In some ways, I wish I could [reassure my younger self], but in other ways, I think going through all of the hard moments and the heartbreak got me to this point, because that was how I learned the lessons that I needed to win. So I am kind of a believer that everything happens for a reason.

With your Australian Open win, you join Black tennis greats like Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, who have also achieved that distinction. What does it mean to you that many young girls see themselves represented in you?

I think representation matters, especially as a woman of color who has been playing for as long as I have and has gone through a lot of hard times to finally—at this point in my career—get the win. Being able to be someone who a little girl can look up to and say, ‘She looks like me,’ I mean, it’s amazing.

I got a very nice note from Serena. From the first time we played, she’s been someone who has always said that she believed I could absolutely be a Grand Slam winner. And as someone who looked up to her so much growing up, that always made me feel like, ‘Okay, if she says it, then it’s got to be true.’ So finally getting one, and having all of her support and kind words, it’s definitely something that you dream of when you’re a little kid.

What comes next for you? Are you already strategizing for upcoming tournaments, or are you taking some time to savor this moment?

I have a few days off, so honestly, I’m really looking forward to being home—making coffee, cooking some meals in our recently renovated kitchen, just getting back to normal life.

I’m trying to take in everything that’s happened in the last two weeks, but also, I’m always looking forward. That’s the reality of tennis, is that it doesn’t really stop. We have a bunch of big tournaments coming up—Indian Wells, the Miami Open—so I’m looking forward to getting back on the court and working on trying to continue to improve my serve and my net game. And, I think, focusing on that—focusing on constantly trying to be better and implement the things that we’re doing on the practice court in matches—just gives me the best opportunity to keep playing some good tennis.